Educated at the Ontario College of Art from 1973-75, Cathy Daley began exhibiting in 1980 in her hometown of Toronto where she continues to reside. Her dark oil pastel and black ink on vellum drawings explore the subject of the female form, body, and identity and their relationship with public and private spaces. The images are inherently feminine, but the manner in which Daley depicts them reminds the viewer that the beauty and ethereality associated with femininity has a dark underbelly. Despite the weight of the subject matter, her drawings remain fluid and light.

Daley’s artwork is included in public and private collections worldwide and represented in many of Canada’s most prestigious collections including the National Gallery of Canada, the Canada Council Art Bank, The Art Gallery of Ontario, the Kelowna Art Gallery and the Tom Thomson Art Gallery.—Courtesy of Waddington's

Signature: Signed and dated /03

Private Collection, California

About Cathy Daley

Cathy Daley’s black, oil-pastel silhouettes of women’s bodies reflect an enduring fascination with female form and identity. Depicting dainty and lithe female figures in dresses, tutus, gowns, and high heels, her images are inspired by fashion, fairytales, and Hollywood. Daley renders her subjects in thick black ink on almost translucent vellum, with vivacious, scrawling scribbles. The contrast between opaque ink and delicate paper creates a tension between weighty, striking forms and the lightness attributed to figures like ballerinas or fairies, suggesting an ambivalent attitude toward the mode of femininity she represents.